1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope holding apparatus that holds an endoscope used in a surgery instead of a surgeon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, rigid endoscopes for observing the inside of a body cavity have widely been used in endoscopic surgical operations. An endoscope of this type is inserted into an abdominal cavity via a guide member, such as a trocar, pierced through the abdominal wall. In surgeries, in general, an endoscope is held by a helper (assistant) called a “scopist”. A scopist performs operations to, e.g., advance/retract, turn or tilt an endoscope, enabling observation of a desired site inside a body cavity.
Furthermore, in recent years, in order to reduce the burden of scopists, endoscope holding apparatuses that mechanically hold an endoscope have been proposed. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-125404 discloses an endoscope holding apparatus including a lifting/lowering section and a multi-joint articulated arm that moves on a horizontal plane. This endoscope holding apparatus provides the aforementioned respective motions, such as advancing/retracting, turning and tilting, necessary for an endoscope during an observation by combination of lifting/lowering motion made by the lifting/lowering section and horizontal motions made by the articulated arm.
Furthermore, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, a distal arm 202 that holds an endoscope 220 can be configured so as to move on a vertical plane. Here, in an endoscope holding apparatus 200, which is illustrated in the figures, a first arm portion 203 and a second arm portion 204 are rotatably connected via a horizontal rotational shaft 206, whereby an articulated distal arm 202 is formed. Furthermore, a base portion 210 is rotatably connected to a proximal end side of the distal arm 202 via a horizontal rotational shaft 205, and the base portion 210 is rotatably connected to a stand 201 including a distal end portion that can be secured at a position above a patient, via a vertical rotational shaft 211. Meanwhile, at a distal end portion of the distal arm 202, an endoscope holding portion 207 that holds an endoscope 220 is rotatably and pivotally supported via a horizontal rotational shaft 208.
The endoscope holding apparatus 200 configured as described above provides advancing/retracting motions, turning motions and tilting motions of the endoscope 220 with a smallest number of joints (shafts). In addition, such endoscope holding apparatus 200 provides no unnecessary joint motions, preventing, e.g., the respective arm portions 203 and 204 from interfering with each other and being locked, and makes the arm portions 203 and 204 follow motions of the endoscope 220 by means of stable behaviors of the arm portions 203 and 204 based on swinging (rotation).